1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to machines and devices for splitting logs into smaller sections, and more particularly to hydraulic log splitting machines and devices, and more particularly still to a log splitter attachment tool for use with mobile machines having a hydraulically powered articulating boom and dipper stick such as a backhoe loader, which attachment tool is alternatively connectable to said mobile machine either directly to the dipper stick and bucket hydraulic curl cylinder or indirectly to a quick connect mechanism.
2. Preliminary Discussion and Prior Art
Various log splitting machines are available commercially for purchase, which in general significantly increase the ease, speed and efficiency of the splitting process in comparison to manual splitting using a conventional axe or the like. However, most of such power-operated log splitters are relatively expensive in that they require an independent framework that is sturdy enough to support a hydraulic system and motor, and that holds the log or wood during cutting, as well as a means for holding and guiding a movable cutting anvil or blade. In addition, most commercially available power-operated log splitters are limited in that they cannot be easily adapted or modified for other uses, and are bulky and difficult to transport and store.
Several log splitter attachments for use with other machines having a hydraulic articulating boom and dipper stick, primarily construction and earthwork machines such as tractors with hydraulically operated front-end loaders, backhoes with hydraulic buckets, or the like, are known, where the force generated by the hydraulic piston or cylinder is utilized to split the logs. The following references are illustrative of such attachment tools and devices:
U.S. Pat. No. 3,780,779 issued to R. J. Guy entitled “Log Splitting Device Adapted to Utilize Powered Piston on Tractor” discloses a log splitter attachment for use with a farm tractor having a hydraulically operated front end loader, wherein the hydraulic piston-cylinder for operating the bucket is detached from the bucket and secured to the splitter attachment, where it is used to urge a log against a splitting wedge. The splitting device in one embodiment has an elongated frame that is connected directly to the tractor frame on one end, and in another embodiment is secured to the end of one of the bucket arms. Logs split using the Guy splitter attachment must be manually loaded on the device.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,019,549 issued to T. V. Williams entitled “Wood Splitting Apparatus” discloses a log splitter attachment for use with a backhoe wherein an I-beam that supports a log splitting assembly including a splitting wedge is pivotably secured on one end to a pivot plate attached to the main boom base, and the other end is supported by a follower yoke secured to the backhoe dipper stick or secondary boom. A log placed on the I-beam is cradled between the wedge and follower yoke, and when the secondary boom is moved toward the main boom the log is forced across the wedge.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,073,325 issued to C. Krom, Jr. entitled “Wood-Splitting Attachment” discloses another wood splitting attachment for use in place of a backhoe bucket assembly, which attachment is secured to the dipper stick and piston and cylinder assembly. The attachment includes an elongated concave trough in which a log is placed and a ground or base plate on which the log is supported, and the piston and cylinder assembly is operated to force a splitting wedge downwardly against the top end of the log to split it.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,112,985 issued to Y. Gosselin entitled “Hydraulic Log Splitter Implement” discloses a log splitting attachment to be connected to the three-point hitch of a tractor. A log to be split must be manually placed standing upright on a log support, and a pivoting wedge secured to the tractor hydraulic piston-cylinder is driven downwardly onto the top end of the log. One advantage is that the tractor can still be used to tow other equipment without removing the log splitting attachment.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,155,385 issued to R. Lapointe entitled “Log-Splitting Device” discloses another log splitting attachment for use with a backhoe having a ground-supported base section on which an upright log is placed, after which similar to the Krom, Jr. attachment a wedge is driven downwardly into the end of the log. Lapointe also discloses a control rod which is attached to the backhoe controls so that the operator can manually load the splitter and then operate the controls without returning to the backhoe cabin.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,236,556 issued to R. C. Smith entitled “Wood Splitter Attachment” discloses another log splitting attachment for use with a backhoe, and more particularly a backhoe having a ground stabilizer and a stabilizer-positioning hydraulic ram, rather than the bucket hydraulics, whereby the attachment is secured to the stabilizer and utilizes the hydraulic ram to drive a wood splitting anvil through the end of a log.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,262,714 issued to G. F. Pratt et al. entitled “Log Splitting Attachment for Tractor Three Point Hitch Members” discloses a log splitting attachment for a tractor, in which as the bars forming the bottom members of a three-point hitch are moved in relation to the upper member, the log is split.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,340,098 issued to G. K. Scott entitled “Log Splitter and Attachment for Tractor”, discloses another log splitting attachment for the three-point hitch of a tractor, in which in use a hoist bar forces the log upwardly against a stationary splitting wedge.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,380,258 issued to P. E. Hanser entitled “Log Splitter” discloses a standalone hydraulic log splitter having a hydraulic boom-like arm with a cutting blade on the end of the outer lever arm that can split a log lying on the ground by holding and pushing the log with a lever arm against a stop on the splitter frame.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,426,782 issued to J. Baisden entitled “Attachment for a Backhoe Arm” discloses a backhoe arm attachment capable of various uses, including log-splitting, in which a first portion of the tool is movable with respect to a second portion, and more particularly, a hydraulically operated sliding member pushes a log resting on the sliding member against a wedge to split the log in two.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,444,231 issued to R. L. Dillon entitled “Log Splitter for Backhoe Vehicles” discloses a log splitting attachment for use with a backhoe including a ground platform, a vertical I-beam attached to the platform, means for securing the I-beam to the backhoe secondary or outer boom, and a splitting wedge which is attached to the backhoe hydraulic cylinder and slidable on the I-beam, whereby a log is placed upstanding on the platform, and the backhoe hydraulic cylinder is operated to bring the splitting wedge downwardly against the end of the log.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,453,580 issued to W. J. Patten entitled “Wood Splitting Device” discloses a wood splitting attachment for a backhoe without first requiring that the conventional bucket be completely removed from the dipper stick. The Patten attachment includes a platform with a sliding surface on which a log to be split is placed, which surface is hydraulically moved to urge the log against a splitting wedge on the outer end of the sliding surface. The conventional bucket is secured to the wood splitting attachment in a folded position, and is used to help stabilize the attachment during its use.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,600,043 issued to V. R. Chapman entitled “Log Splitting Apparatus” discloses a backhoe log splitter attachment that can be used to split both long and short logs. A cutting blade is pivotably secured to the end of the dipper stick, and is pivoted by the dipper stick hydraulic ram via another bracket. The blade has a straight cutting edge on one side and a tapered or angled wedge portion on the other side, and also attached extending outwardly from the left side of the dipper stick is a pair of claw arms operated by a separate hydraulic ram. In use, a first log is grasped between the claws and side of the blade, and is positioned crossways against the front of the backhoe tracks. Then, a second log to be cut is positioned perpendicular against the side of the first log, the blade edge is squared to the end of the log, and is forced into the end of the log, with the wedge portion increasing the width of the split.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,615,367 issued to J. C. Crowley, Jr. entitled “Backhoe Log Splitter” discloses another log splitting attachment for use with a backhoe including two wood splitting pincers which are secured to the backhoe dipper stick in place of the conventional bucket. The pincers include a stationary wedge secured to the boom side of the dipper stick, and a pusher device mounted to the bucket pivot and dipper stick piston, whereby logs held between the stationary wedge and pusher are split when the pusher is moved toward the stationary wedge by the piston. Crowley, Jr.'s splitting attachment is complicated by the need to secure both a splitting wedge and pusher device to the dipper stick and bucket pivot.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,144,995 issued to B. Pettersson entitled “Apparatus for Splitting Loose Objects such as Tree Trunks” discloses a vehicle-mounted log splitting apparatus for splitting large logs or tree trunks wherein the log is picked up around its trunk by a gripping member attached to the end of a boom, one end of the log is braced against the ground or other surface and a splitting blade is hydraulically forced into the other end.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,320,149 issued to A. N. Peterson et al. entitled “Boom Mounted Log Splitter”, discloses another vehicle-mounted log splitter boom attachment which is similar to the Pettersson splitter in that a log to be cut is held around its trunk by a grapple and is then split by a blade which is forced into an end of the log. In addition, logs can be gripped laterally between a heel rack and blade by pivoting such implements towards each other.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,803,141 issued to T. R. Patterson entitled “Combination Wood Splitter and Loader”, discloses another hydraulic wood splitting attachment to be secured to a vehicle, although it is not necessarily designed to be used with material moving vehicles such as a backhoe. In one embodiment, a log is held on its ends and continued inward force or movement causes the log to be split into two parts.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,609,547 issued to R. P. Machkovech entitled “Log Splitter Attachment for a Skid Loader”, discloses a log splitter attachment for use with a skid loader including a mounting frame and a beam whereby similar to several previously described arrangements a piston is used to force a log against a wedge with a sufficient force to split the log.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,763,864 issued to W. Setlack et al. entitled “Log Splitter Attachment” discloses a log splitting attachment for use with a loader whereby a frame supporting a blade and log pusher is secured to the loader lift arms in place of a bucket, and wherein the pusher is moved by an actuator toward the blade to split a log.
U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2009/0236011 issued to S. D. Bolton entitled “Hands Free Wood Splitter” discloses a log splitter attachment for a skid loader, farm tractor, backhoe, or other mobile vehicle with hydraulically movable arms including a spinning auger which is pressed downwardly into the log to split it.
U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2009/0288737 issued to M. A. Gilmet entitled “Apparatus for Positioning and Splitting Wood”, discloses another splitting apparatus for use with a backhoe in which a beam with a movable or stationary jaw member is secured to the bucket end of the backhoe boom, and logs are grasped and split between a movable jaw member and stationary jaw member.
A drawback of most known log splitter attachment devices is that they require either the operator or a separate worker to manually lift and load each log to be split into the splitting device. Thus, weaker individuals will quickly tire of manually lifting each log onto the splitting device, and in addition there is a danger of muscle pulls, logs slipping, and other devices that together present a significant safety hazard. Another drawback of existing log splitter attachments is that it is difficult to operate the attachment because the visibility of the operator is obscured by the attachment equipment. The Chapman (U.S. Pat. No. 4,600,043) splitter attachment includes a pair of claws that can be used to lift and move logs to be split without requiring manual movement. However, this still requires a separate lifting and moving operation and then cutting operation, which is both time-consuming and inefficient. The Crowley (U.S. Pat. No. 4,615,367) splitter attachment apparently can be used to pick up logs to be split, but requires both a separate wedge and pusher member, rather than utilizing an existing thumb member. In addition, known splitter attachments are inflexible in that they are not adapted to be secured either directly to a backhoe dipper stick or using a quick-connect mechanism, and furthermore do not take full advantage of existing attachment devices which can be used in combination with the splitter attachment. The present inventor has therefore conceived of a log splitting attachment tool or device for use in combination with a material moving machine such as a backhoe that does not require manual loading of logs on the splitting device, and that minimizes the number of special parts that must be purchased to utilize an existing machine such as a backhoe as a log splitter. In addition, the present inventor's splitting attachment device can be used with existing quick coupling bucket mounting mechanisms to more quickly engage and disengage a bucket or other attachments to a backhoe dipper stick.